Team Dignitas, the UK’s long-running esports organisation now owned by US basketball brand the Philadelphia 76ers, have announced their new League of Legends roster.
Earlier in December, Dignitas confirmed that Top-laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho and jungler Lee “Chaser” Sang-hyun have joined the organisation’s North American League of Legends LCS team.
Now, former Team EnVyUs ADC Benjamin “LOD” deMunck and coaches Jung Su Kim and Jae Seok Park have joined.
These are joined by Los Angeles-based Support Alex “Xpecial” Chu and mid laner Lae-Young “Keane” Jang.
Benjamin “LOD” deMunck said: “I am extremely confident that this team can compete with and defeat the best in the world.”
Team Dignitas will take part in a pre-season boot camp in Seoul. Their first LCS spring split matches will begin on January 21st 2017 at the Riot studios in Los Angeles.
“I am excited to play overseas and help Team Dignitas continue to raise the standard for a North American team,” added Ssumday, who also complimented Dignitas’ structure and setup.
“I believe the Dignitas’ NBA ownership structure will provide the best conditions for me to focus on gaming, training and development,” he added. “I am confident that, together with my Team Dignitas teammates and coaches, we will grow to become competitive on the world stage.”
“This was an incredible opportunity to play internationally, for an ambitious organization, that wants to win. I believe my aggressive jungling style will fit the 2017 meta well, and contribute to our success.”
Lee “Chaser” Sang-hyun
Chaser commented: “This was an incredible opportunity to play internationally, for an ambitious organization, that wants to win. I believe my aggressive jungling style will fit the 2017 meta well, and contribute to our success”, said Lee “Chaser” Sang-hyun.
“We have assembled some of the most talented players in the world, and the most forward-thinking, strategic coaching minds in the industry today,” said Team Dignitas President Michael “ODEE” O’Dell.
“From my experience playing, coaching and now managing teams competing at the world’s highest level, I can attest to the crucial importance of an elite coaching staff. The addition of these coaches illustrates our commitment to developing Team Dignitas players to their full potential. We believe Coach Kim and Coach Park will help elevate Team Dignitas to a higher level.”
Dignitas CEO Jonathan Kemp said that bringing ‘world-class’ talent like Ssumday and Chaser into the squad confirms their commitment to building a team that ‘dominates the global gaming landscape’.
“With the support of our partners at the Philadelphia 76ers, and these two new, unbelievable players, we are taking Team Dignitas’ recruiting, development and performance to the next level,” he said.
“We aspire to be the global leaders in eSports player development, health and wellness; utilizing sports performance best practices from across professional sports to support those top eSports players who want every competitive edge.
“We are confident the Sixers player and business-based resources and expertise will continue to make Team Dignitas the destination for the industry’s top players and corporate partners.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
